EMBODIED - ON_OFF_SPACE DeSingel

Research & Process

We started the residency with a conscious decision to think first and move second. In many creative environments, it is easy to act before you think, but we wanted to build a solid narrative foundation before any choreography began. The dancers were divided into groups and tasked with sketching out a framework by asking what they wanted to tell, what the essence of the story was, and which emotions were most important.

To keep the dancers as the "conductors" of the process, we gave them full ownership over the music. Our producer, Cléry Khedhir, was present throughout to adapt the score to each group's specific narrative. Instead of the dancers fitting into a premade track, the music changed according to their needs. We also used storyboards and camera workshops to help the groups think in shots and framing, making sure their body language would translate properly to film.

Our research found that the torytelling within dance lies mostly in the implicit, the act of suggesting a story rather than explaining it clearly. We noticed that being too literal or explicit through movement often felt forced, whereas the body is most effective when it suggests rather than dictates. Because dance works without words, it doesn't imply a single narrative; instead, it raises questions and allows the audience to create their own meaning based on their own experiences.

Team

• Facilitator: Denis Inghelbrecht
• Producer: Cléry Khedhir
• Costume Designer & Make-up Artist: Ayla Vitale
• Videographer: David Jacobski

• Dancers:
  • Fleur De Decker
  • Carla Parcianello
  • Manu Mpasi
  • Bianca Neyre
  • Cléry Khedhir
  • Finn Van Drenth
  • Katya Piskova

Spaces

• DeSingel, ON_OFF_SPACE
• Districthuis Deurne